


with you i see forever (oh so clearly)

by owilde



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Christmas Fluff, Established Relationship, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Presents Exchange Gone Sappy, Romance, Short & Sweet, Wordcount: 1.000-5.000, it's really just........... fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-24
Updated: 2017-12-24
Packaged: 2019-02-19 03:02:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13114599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/owilde/pseuds/owilde
Summary: Alec lifted the cover to reveal another box inside, a smaller one. He frowned, taking it in his hands."A box inside a box, really?" He asked, turning it around in his hands."Just open it," Magnus said. He sounded tense.Alec did. His breath caught in his throat.





	with you i see forever (oh so clearly)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lindsey7618](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lindsey7618/gifts).



> IT'S THE HOLIDAYS FINALLY NO SCHOOL FOR TWO WEEKS BLESS
> 
> This is a Christmas present for my dearest fucking friend, Lea. You have been a constant in my life for so long, and I'm so eternally grateful for you, it only felt right to give you a present. And since I can't physically give you one, well. Here it is. You've once again made my year not only bearable but, in parts, a delight. Your ramblings never fail to make me smile (though, the puns can be too much). (Kidding. Never stop). I will stoop as low as to use pet names - sweetheart, I hope this ridiculous little fic can make you smile, and if not, at least huff in amusement. May 2018 be better for both of us, yeah? Fingers crossed. Love you, and Merry Christmas, from the bottom of my (dark, empty) heart.
> 
> Oh, yeah, and title taken from Glenn Medeiros' "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You", because I'm a sap.

It was the worst snow storm in years. Or that was, at least, what the news had proclaimed. Alec was inclined to believe that, staring out the window of their apartment. People filing out of central city, finally going home from work, were stacked in neat lines of cars stuck behind each other in the weather. As Alec watched, the line moved a few feet at most, before stuttering to an abrupt stop again. He didn't envy any of them.

"They're never getting home," he commented, eyes fixated on the cars. Snow was coming down sideways; it had been steadily getting worse throughout the day. The light of the street lamps looked dull against the grey scenery.

"No," Magnus agreed from the couch. He was laying on his back, reading a book – Alec couldn't see which one, but he could guess King. For reasons unknown to him, Magnus enjoyed reading horror during the festive season. He'd already gone through their selection of Lovecraft in the days leading up to the Christmas weekend. Alec was past the point of questioning it, really, after the three Christmases they'd spent together. 

He walked over to the couch and sat down, lifting Magnus' feet into his lap. Magnus insisted on wearing the ugliest pair of woolen socks Alec had ever seen – pale blue with orange dots and green, twirling lines. He'd gotten them from Catarina and Ragnor the first Christmas the three of them had spent together, years ago, sharing a small and terrible apartment somewhere far away from Brooklyn. "I hate your socks," Alec felt inclined to point out. "The colours clash."

"The colours absolutely do not clash," Magnus argued, half-heartedly. "Purple and orange are complementary, and blue is one shade away from purple. Green and blue are both cold colours, which works well with the warmth of the orange. All in all, it's a—"

"—collection of beautiful mistakes," Alec finished, shaking his head. "So you've said."

"Well, there you go," Magnus said. He turned a page, and gasped. "Oh, he's  _dead_? My, King, the things you do to me."

"Spoilers," Alec said absently. He eyed the apartment around them. They'd gotten a Christmas tree, because Alec insisted that it was important, a tradition. Jace had stopped by one day to help them decorate, which was why the tree looked like a mishap; it was an explosion of baubles and tinsel, and a few electric candles because Alec was (rationally, he thought) afraid that the candles would get knocked over and they'd end up on the streets because a  _Christmas tree_ burned their apartment to the ground.

They'd gotten mistletoes, because Magnus was a sap, and because Alec didn't have it in him to argue. They were situated conveniently in the living room so that more often than not, Alec had taken advantage of them to drag Magnus in for a kiss. There were lights here and there, and a few snow globes, and other miscellaneous Christmas decorations that Alec had insisted on. He wasn't too big on the festivities, usually, but… this year felt special. This year  _was_ special. 

Their apartment – their shared space, their  _home_ – was supposed to represent where they were in life. And they were in a good place, Alec thought, so the apartment had to look accordingly.

"Should we invite people over next year?" Alec asked. "My siblings, Cat, Ragnor. Doesn't have to be a lot, but…"

 _Next year_ carried in it a promise, Alec thought, of  _we'll try._ He liked 'try', because it implied that while nothing was certain, everything was possible. He certainly hoped that "next year" was possible.

Magnus hummed affirmatively. "Something small," he agreed. "We could have a Secret Santa thing—"

" _Oh_ ," Alec gasped. He stood up, letting Magnus' feet drop – Magnus yelped, glancing at him over his book.

"What?" Magnus asked, frowning.

"Presents," Alec replied over his shoulder. He was already dashing towards their shared bedroom. "We have to exchange presents!" He continued.

He'd hidden Magnus' gift underneath the sweaters he knew Magnus wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole, because they were "horrendous" and "an insult to the fashion industry". He lifted the sweaters and pulled the box from underneath, before walking back to the living room.

Magnus eyed him, amused. He reached out underneath the couch and lifted a rectangular, wrapped up box.

"It was under the couch this whole time?" Alec asked, lifting a brow. "How did—"

"You never remember to vacuum under the couch."

Alec's lips pulled into a bemused frown. "The hell I don't," he protested.

"Well, evidently it is so." Magnus waved the present with a small smile. "It's alright, darling. We can't all be perfect."

Alec sat down again. Magnus straightened up as well, and they sat cross-legged, facing each other. Alec's stomach was twisting itself into nervous knots as he turned the present in his hands, guessing and second-guessing himself over and over. Was it too soon? Was it the wrong time? He should've just gotten a CD of Magnus' favourite songs, or something, this was dumb—

"Well," Magnus said. He was smiling – nervously, Alec thought. "Let's do this, then."

Alec laughed. "Don't make it sound like we're going to war," he said. "It's just  _presents_." At Magnus' anxious look, he smiled a little. "I can go first."

They exchanged the presents at the same time. Alec's gift felt light, compared to its size. He began to unwrap it, trying to be careful with the paper – it was a beautiful, deep red with batches of glitter. The box underneath was plain black. Alec lifted the cover to reveal another box inside, a smaller one. He frowned, taking it in his hands.

"A box inside a box, really?" He asked, turning it around in his hands.

"Just open it," Magnus said. He sounded tense.

Alec did.

His breath caught in his throat.

Inside was a small, black velvet box. Unassuming, and plain, and the one thing Alec hadn't expected. He took it with shaking hands; it was light. He glanced at Magnus, who was biting his lower lip.

"Is it…?" Alec was at a loss for words.

"Open it," Magnus repeated, softly.

Inside was silver ring. It twirled in beautiful branches – in the middle lied a deep blue topaz stone, twinkling in the living room light. It was beautiful,  _too_ beautiful. Alec felt like he didn't quite know how to breathe, as if the skill had escaped his memory all of a sudden.

"I… I don't…" He began, blinking at the ring. He swallowed nervously, fighting off a grin. "Are you kidding me?"

Magnus' face deflated. "If it's not a good time—"

"No," Alec hurried to say, "no, I mean— _yes_ , yes, but – uhm, open yours, please."

Magnus did, frowning a little. Once he opened the box, he froze.

"Oh," he said weakly. " _Oh_."

"Yeah," Alec said. Laughter bubbled out of his chest, nerves turning into an all-encompassing sense relief. As Alec watched, Magnus took out a similar velvet box and flicked it open. He knew what Magnus was seeing – a silver ring, with an oval crimson stone in the centre. The one Alec had been losing sleep over for the past month, terrified that Magnus would find it and terrified that he wouldn't  _want_ it.

"You…" Magnus started. He cleared his throat, not taking his eyes off the ring. "You're… do you mean…?"

Alec was still laughing, now bordering on hysterical. "Yes," he confirmed, "yes, I'm proposing to you. I thought - well. Magnus. It's been... You've made the past three years of my life the best three years of my life, you should know that - I think you know that. I hope you know that. Without you, I don't know where I'd be, right now. And I don't really want to know. So, would you—would you do me the honour of marrying me?"

Magnus finally looked up, smiling so hard Alec thought his face might break. "I think my answer is rather obvious," he laughed, "but in case it's still not painfully clear – yes. Of course, yes. And do you… I mean, would you? I had a speech, but I can't remember it now, and, well, I think—"

" _Yes_ ," Alec interrupted. "Yes, I'll marry you, of course I will. In case  _my_ proposal wasn't an answer enough."

Alec took the ring from the box and slipped it on – it fit perfectly. It looked natural, like it was always supposed to have been there. Something caught in his throat, some kind of a raw emotion he couldn't explain or much less understand, and it manifested as another burst of laughter.

"I can't believe this," Alec said aloud. As he looked up, Magnus was eyeing his own ring. He looked up as well, and their eyes met. "We're engaged," Alec continued, grinning. "We're—we're  _engaged_."

"I can't believe we proposed at the same time." Magnus shook his head slightly, smiling. "Ridiculous. One of should've thought of a birthday proposal, or something."

Alec shrugged. "I thought about your birthday," he admitted, "but the ring wouldn't have arrived on time. Do you know how difficult it is to keep a secret from you, by the way? You know those trips where I went to 'get present for Izzy'?" He did quotation marks with his hands. "I was ring shopping with her. She's been steadily losing patience with me the past three months."

"I probably should've caught up with the fact that it doesn't take that many trips to find a present," Magnus shrugged. "But I was preoccupied with  _your_ ring. Took ages to find it, we scoured probably every ring store in New York. Then Raphael saw that one, and we thought - that's it. That's the one."

"It's beautiful," Alec agreed. "Really, it is."

They settled on the couch with Alec laying between Magnus' legs. He was playing with Magnus' fingers, admiring the ring. It felt good to finally see it where it was supposed to be, after it had been hidden away in the closet for a better half of the month. It looked even better now than it had in the shop.

Alec had known, when he'd seen it, that it was the one. Kind of like how he'd known from very early on that Magnus was the one, too.

"So," Magnus mumbled, "how about a fall wedding?"

Alec smiled to himself. He entwined their fingers and laid them atop his chest. "Sounds like a very good idea to me," he replied. "A very good idea, indeed."

Outside, it continued to snow.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays everyone!


End file.
